Baltic Gull (Larus fuscus fuscus) / PIP / Better big, left click on the picture

The Baltic Gull breeds mainly in Sweden and Finland on islands and along the coasts of the Baltic Sea. But they breed also on the western Kola Peninsula and in northern Norway.

It is a long-distance migrant, wintering mainly on the coasts of tropical East Africa (Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique), but also in the Middle East. Migration begins between July and August and peaks in September. The return migration takes place between February and the end of June.

"Approximate flight route for a larger number of herring gulls (just over 15 individuals) with GPS logs: It is a fairly unified corridor across Eastern Europe down to the Istanbul area, then to the next stop over point at the Nile Delta/Sinai. After two weeks they continue across the Arabian Peninsula and then follow the rift valley towards the final destination, at Lake Victoria in East Africa.
The passage over Ethiopia and down to the Rift Vallley occur at very high altitudes, often exceeding 3500 metres. At that altitude they find strong tailwinds that help them to reach their goal faster. A specific female Baltic gull, chose during the spring migration fly up to 5500 meters height when she passed the Red Sea and the jet winds give her an impressing speed of 155 km/h during parts of the flight towards the Baltic sea." Source: The Baltic Wings project, Lesser Blackbacked Gull –Baltic Gull (www.balticwings.org.)

The population has been on a downward trend since the 1970s. It has been affected by poisoning of the Baltic Sea – first mainly PCB and mercury later different organochlorine substances – and by the decline of important food sources due to industrial fishing. Today it is on the Red List as vulnerable.

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